From Alison Green for U.S. News
1. Don’t assume that your manager knows how high your workload is.Your manager can’t help you if she doesn’t realize that there’s a problem. A common mistake in this situation is to assume that your workload is so obviously high that there’s no way that your manager doesn’t know, and so therefore she must not care or can’t do anything about it. But in reality, you’re the person paying the most attention to your workload, not your manager — and she may assume that since you’re not speaking up, there isn’t a problem. So…
2. Talk to your manager about the situation. Pick a time when your manager isn’t rushed and ask to talk about your workload. Explain that it has become unmanageable and why (for instance, that you’ve taken on the responsibilities of someone who left without anything being removed from your plate, or that a particular account has doubled in size in the last year). Explaining what’s behind the workload increase can help because your manager may not be focused on the facts as you.
3. Suggest options. You’re most likely to get the help that you need if you come prepared to talk about options. For instance, you might say, “I can do A and B, but not C. Or if C is really important, I’d want to move A off my plate to make room for it. Alternately, I can act as an adviser to Jane on C, but I can’t do the work of C myself if I’m also doing A and B.”
Read More Here
